On Thursday, parts of the central and eastern United States were recovering from storms that swept through the region this week, knocking out power, triggering evacuations and killing several people, as more thunderstorms were expected to hit the East, setting the stage for a dangerous stretch of heat. Come and take a breather.
National Weather Service forecasters say severe thunderstorms are expected in the mid-Atlantic region during the second half of the week, with thunderstorms moving eastward from the Ohio River and Tennessee Valley. Major cities including Philadelphia, New York City and Newark, New Jersey, will see scattered showers and showers on Thursday and Friday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The worst of the storm is expected to hit the southern mid-Atlantic, including Virginia and the Carolinas, where flood watches are active. The weather service said the main hazards associated with thunderstorms include frequent lightning, strong wind gusts, hail and “a minimal threat of tornadoes.”
Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches per hour are possible in northern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, according to the weather service.
The rain, especially across the mid-Atlantic, will come as a relief to millions after days of high temperatures that pushed temperatures into the 100s in Washington, D.C., after temperatures in 2019 reached the mid-to-upper 90s. , temperatures are expected to drop.
Record heat bakes Pacific Northwest
Heat warnings and advisories are in effect across the Pacific Northwest on Thursday as dangerously high temperatures begin to blanket the region, with record-breaking temperatures threatening to hit several states.
According to AccuWeather, a northward bulge of a jet stream and an area of high pressure will push temperatures into the 90s and 100s across the West, from Southern California to Washington state and Wyoming, followed by some overnight relief.
AccuWeather said the high temperature in the north-central Oregon city of Pendleton will remain in the 103-degree range through the weekend, while temperatures in Spokane, Washington, are expected to break the nearly 120-year-old temperature record of 103 degrees set in 1905. . Cities in Idaho and Montana are also expected to challenge daily heat records.
“This multi-day event will pose a hazard, especially for those who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat, such as young children, the elderly, people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women,” the weather service said.
Thousands in Eastern and Midwestern U.S. without power
Nearly 70,000 homes and businesses were without power Thursday in upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to an outage tracking system maintained by USA TODAY. Counties across central Illinois and Indiana reported 33,000 outages.
A string of violent storms swept through the region on Tuesday, destroying buildings and uprooting trees and plunging more than 100,000 utility customers into darkness in Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency.
Officials said the storm killed one person in the village of Canastota, about 25 miles east of Syracuse. Meanwhile, a tornado with peak winds of 135 mph ripped through the city of Rome, ripping off roofs and snapping trees. Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan told a news conference that the city “looks like a war zone.”
In the Midwest, storms spawned at least 11 tornadoes and flooding turned roads into rivers. Heavy rains caused a dam in Nashville, Illinois, to “rupture” and about 200 people were evacuated. After the rain stopped, the immediate safety concerns passed, but the dam still needed repairs, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
At least two people were killed after flooding destroyed their cars in a rural area of the state.
Arkansas flooding prompts dozens to evacuate
Dangerous weather spread to Arkansas on Wednesday, inundating parts of the state with nearly a foot of rain in a matter of hours, sending rivers above flood stage and causing flash flooding, forcing officials to issue evacuation orders and rescue operations.
Flooding impacts, including evacuations of apartment complexes, senior living facilities and flooded roads, were reported in at least eight counties across the state.
The Creekside Health and Rehabilitation Senior Facility in the northern Arkansas city of Yellville reported that more than 80 people had to escape due to flooding and were then transported to a county community center, according to a statement from Arkansas Emergency Management.
Emergency management said 30 to 40 people were evacuated from their homes in the eastern city of Flipping. According to reports, more than 30 residents of an apartment complex in Greenbrier, north of Little Rock, had to flee due to flooding. The severe weather in Arkansas has largely subsided, but some rivers remained above flood stage Thursday.
Update: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Thao Nguyen, USA Today
